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After the fall of communism, the healthcare systems of Central and Eastern European countries underwent enormous transformation, resulting in departure from publicly financed healthcare. This had significant adverse effects on equity in healthcare, which are still evident. In this paper, we analyzed the role of government and households in financing healthcare in eight countries (EU-8): Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. A desk research method was applied to collect quantitative data on healthcare expenditures and qualitative data on gaps in universal health coverage. A linear regression analysis was used to analyze a trend in health expenditure over the years 2000–2018. Our results indicate that a high reliance on out-of-pocket payments persists in many EU-8 countries, and only a few countries have shown a significant downward trend over time. The gaps in universal coverage in the EU-8 countries are due to explicit rationing (a limited benefit package, patient cost sharing) and implicit mechanisms (wait times). There is need to increase the role of public financing in CEE countries through budget prioritization, reducing patient co-payments for medical products and medicines, and extending the benefit package for these goods, as well as improving the quality of care.

The aim of the chapter is to identify the main obstacles to entrepreneurial initiatives and activities in the health care sector in Poland after the economic and political transformation of 1989. A review of the literature (desk-top analysis) enriched by statistical data. The chapter starts from a concise picture of Semashko model of health care inherited from the Soviet era. Then key features of the health care reform initiated in 1999 are presented accompanied by the development of the private sector in primary care, ambulatory care, stomatology, and wholesale of pharmaceuticals since 1989.

Background The objective of this paper is to identify the key conditions that positively affect the use of e-health services in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) countries. CEE countries after the political and economic transformation in 1989/90 implemented slightly different national health care models. The research question of the study is: how do the various institutional conditions at the national level affect the use of e-health services in CEE countries? Methods The e-health description was derived from papers indexed in Web of Science and Scopus. The data for computation were collected from the 2015 global survey by the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth. We used a narrative literature review in order to identify key terms associated to e-health and conditions for the implementation of e-health services. The search terms were “e-health” and “*” where * was particular thematic section of e-health according to WHO GOeH. The inclusion criterion was relevance of the paper to e-health and searched phase. Eligibility criteria for countries for being described as CEE countries: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Croatia (we omitted Slovakia from the analysis because this country was not covered by the WHO Survey). We applied qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to analyse the necessary order of conditions. The dependent variable of the study is the national rate of use of e-health services. Results QCA shows that legal medical jurisdiction, teleprogramme and electronic health records supplemented by adequate training constitute critical conditions to achieve success in e-health implementation. Conclusions We conclude that the more formalised a framework for e-health service delivery is, the more likely it will be used. Therefore formalisation fosters the diffusion, dissemination and implementation of e-health solutions in this area. Formalisation must be accompanied by tailored training for health care professionals and patients. Our analyses are related only to the paths of e-health implementation in CEE countries thus consequently the findings and conclusions cannot be directly applied to other countries. The limitations of this study are related the absence of a broader context of e-health development, including the development of ICT infrastructure and ICT literacy.

The main purpose of the article is to identify key criteria being used for physician appraisals and to find how communication skills of physicians are valued in those appraisals. ScienceDirect and EBSCOhost databases were used for this search. The results show that a physician appraisal is underestimated both theoretically and empirically. The particular gap exists with respect to the communication skills of physicians, which are rarely present in medical training syllabi and physician assessments. The article contributes to the theoretical discourse on physician appraisals and points out at the inconsistency between the high status of physicians as a key hospital resource on the one hand and, on the other hand, at inadequate and poorly researched assessment of their performance with a special emphasis on communication skills. The article may inspire health managers to develop and implement up-to-date assessment forms for physicians and good managerial practices in this respect in hospitals and other health care units.

We are witnessing the rapid development of new technologies, sophisticated devices and related applications fuelled by the fourth industrial revolution in healthcare systems. The aim of this paper is to identify the key determinants of the healthcare system’s adaptive capacity to respond to the outcomes of the fourth industrial revolution. Through a narrative literature review, the main healthcare system’s adaptive capacity determinants are identified and then examined through explorative and qualitative research based on data gathered from interviews with experts from the Polish healthcare system. We conclude that research on the adaptability of the healthcare system remains in its early stages, and the most significant healthcare determinants of adaptive capacity for the fourth industrial revolution are human capital, financial resources, and legal regulations. We also note a lack of long-term vision for the healthcare system in Poland, which can hinder the implementation of advanced health technologies. The article ends with recommendations for future research directions.

The purpose of the paper is to identify the volume and dynamics of FDI in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia (V4) after their full accession to the European Union. The following hypothesis is tested: the Visegrad countries’ membership in the European Union has not resulted in higher increases of FDI in these countries. The methodology is based on the concept of Investment Development Path (IDP) and Net Outward Investment position (NOI) of a country. The most current data (as of 2012) on FDI is derived from UNCTAD. The literature available in ScienceDirect and EBSCO has been reviewed.

Background Poland has the lowest number of physicians per 1000 population (2.2/1000) in the EU. This is accompanied by a considerable migration rate of Polish physicians to other EU countries (estimated at above 7%). Among other consequences, this results in waiting lists and unmet health needs. Objective The aim of this article is an identification of the main challenges for physician workforce planning in Poland. Methods The authors analysed national and international documents, reports, official statements, publications and statistical databases. Main findings In Poland health workforce planning is inadequate and insufficient. There is no formal structure and no strategy regarding human resource planning or regular forecasts for the health workforce, which results in many negative effects for the healthcare system. Currently the shortage of physicians in some specialties is becoming one of the most important reasons for limited access to care and lengthening the average wait time. Conclusions To improve this situation operational and strategic actions should be undertaken without unnecessary delay. Effective and close cooperation between key stakeholders is needed. Health workforce planning needs to become one of the key building blocks of the Polish health system’s reforms, strongly connected to the other functions of the health system. It is essential for Poland to follow available good practices in health workforce planning.